Waging Tails
by Xxx-Aka-Ketsueki-xxX
Summary: What if Kiba was a girl? And the Rookie Nine were put on different teams? How much would this change the course of Naruto's life as a shinobi? Rated M for language, violence, and lemons later on... maybe. Revised and reposted.
1. Chapter One: Squad Eight, Assemble!

_**A/N: Hello all. This is a story I've wrote almost four years ago, but recently decided to delete and repost to fit my current writing style compared to how it was in the past. To most, this may seem like a totally new story. To the rest, it should seem more polished and enjoyable than it used to.**_

 _ **But in any case, I hope you all enjoy!**_

* * *

"Hehehehehe...!" A twelve-year old Naruto couldn't stop himself from chuckling. He had just become a fully-pledged shinobi today! He also learned a new jutsu called 'Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu'. He's become one step closer to becoming Hokage! What's even better is that he actually kicked Mizuki's ass, who was a Chuunin! A freakin' Chuunin! And he himself hasn't even become a shinobi until after that! That can only mean one thing-

 _"If Mizuki was so easy to beat, imagine how easy the rest of these punks are! I think I may be the best in the class right now!"_

"...Naruto? The hell are you doing here? This classroom is only for people who have received a Hitai-ate and have become a shinobi!" One of his classmates said to him, interrupting him from his thoughts. Naruto snapped his head at the student and smiled broadly.

"Hehehe! I know! Can't you see the thing around my forehead? Why do you think I'm here?" Naruto responded, ignoring the student's attitude towards him. Before the boy could retort anything else at Naruto, a female voice interrupted them both.

"HI SASUKE-KUN!"

 _"Great. Another screaming Sasuke-fan came into the room."_ Naruto grumbled in his head, while glaring at the pink-haired girl running into the room. He whipped his head over toward said Uchiha, who was sitting a chair away from him, and sneered at the occupied, but calm expression on his face while his hands are folded underneath his chin. _"Damned teme. There's no one on this earth who I hate more than him! He thinks he's hot shit...with his 'cool' attitude, his thousands of screaming fans, and his smarts... and whatnot..."_

Before Naruto could rant about anything else about his self-proclaimed rival in his head, a blur of pink and red pushed the blond out of his seat to get to Sasuke. Naruto landed on the floor hard. As he gets up from the ground, he wondered what the hell that was that pushed him. But he found the answer to his question quickly when he saw a giddy Sakura standing beside Sasuke, who was trying his best not to pay any attention to her.

"Hee-hee-hee! Hello, Sasuke-kun! Would you mind if I sit next to y-?"

"Yes, I would." Sasuke grunted. Sakura showed a bit of disappointment on her face for a mere second, but then smiled before trying her luck again.

"Aww, come on Sasuke-kun! Wh-"

"Don't waste your time, Sakura." Grunted out an irritable blonde, "If the teme doesn't want you to sit next to him, then nothing you'll say is going to make him change his mind." Naruto added. Sakura glared at the young Jinchuuriki and Sasuke looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why don't you mind your business, Naruto? I don't recall anyone talking to you, ya know!" Sakura replied hardheartedly, putting her hands on her hips. Naruto stood up from his seat and stepped closer to Sakura.

"Yeah, well I was talking to you! Leave the ignorant bastard alone, will ya? It's not like he's actually going to fall for you one day, so you're just wasting your time! I'm trying to help _you_ out, for Kami's sake!" Naruto retorted. Sakura grimaced.

"Hmph. You're just jealous that you're nowhere near as attractive as Sasuke-kun. Every girl here would easily say the same thing." Sakura countered. But before Naruto got the chance to retaliate, someone else spoke up for him.

"Ha! I beg to differ." The blonde and pinkette heard from their side. They both turned their heads to the source of the voice and spotted a girl with a small white and brown Great Pyrenees snuggled in her lap. The first noticeable trait about this female were the red fang markings on both sides of her face. The next thing was her vertically slit pupils, and her long, but wild-looking brown hair that stopped at the middle of her back in a ponytail. Even though she seemed to have a few... feral-like traits, this young lady was truly beautiful, despite the intimidating look on her face. She was also wearing a loose-fitting, gray, hooded sweater that had black fur attached to the sleeves and hood. She wasn't wearing the hood at the moment, and her hitai-ate was wrapped around her neck. She also wore dark, ankle-high shinobi pants, her kunai holster wrapped around her left thigh.

"I'd take Blondie over there over that Uchiha any day." The young brunette finished with a quick glare in said Uchiha's direction. Sasuke rolled his eyes and scoffed at the brunette, returning his attention back to his own thoughts regarding how to have himself become an only child. Both Sakura and Naruto were looking at this girl with wide eyes, but for different reasons, "What? I just don't have a thing for arrogant assholes. Especially ones that have hair in the shape of a bird's ass." she added.

"Oh yeah, you're that weird dog girl who always did the exact opposite of what all the other girls would do in class." Sakura stated, "That figures. You and Naruto are practically made for each other."

"Oh, I'm sorry for not flocking with the rest of you she-harpies who swoon over a boy who could care less about your existence."

Right before Sakura could come up with a comeback, the door to the classroom opened, with their sensei, Iruka Umino strolled through the door, a scroll in his hand.

"Alright class, take your seats. It's time to announce the Genin teams you each will be placed in." he said with a casual smile. Everyone, including Naruto and Sakura, hurried to their seats to hear the announcement of the teams that they'll be on. With the previous argument completely forgotten about, Sakura prayed that she'd be able to get paired up with her sweetheart-to-be.

"Okay, since we don't have much time to waste, I'll just get right on with it. Team One will consist of..." Iruka read from the scroll he brought in. Teams One through Six have been called out after a couple of minutes. But once Team Seven was about to being called out...

"Team Seven will consist of... Haruno Sakura," Sakura perked up and looked at her teacher anxiously.

 _"Please be Sasuke-kun, please be Sasuke-kun, please be Sasuke-kun...!"_ Sakura chanted in her head with crossed fingers.

"Uchiha Sasuke,"

"YES!" Sakura shouted.

Sasuke sighed.

"And Yamanaka Ino."

"WHAT?!"

Sasuke and Iruka sighed.

"And Team leader will be Hatake Kak-"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'LL BE ON A TEAM WITH _HER_?" Sakura and Ino roared simultaneously, pointing their fingers at their rival. If anyone in this class wasn't aware of Sakura's and Ino's rivalry, one might assume that they rehearsed synchronized arguing.

Iruka ignored their outbursts and simply told them to talk to him after class. Still angry, but didn't put up any further argument, Sakura and Ino sat back down into their seats. Satisfied, Iruka continued.

"Right. Now, Team Eight will consist of... Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto sat up and paid close attention to Iruka. "Hyuuga Hinata," Naruto looked over to one of the few people that wasn't hostile to him. She was very nice from what he could tell... if not, a little weird. Every time he'd try to talk to her, she'd turn red and either faint, or run away. He had enough knowledge to know that she wasn't doing it out of fear. So why would she behave like that? Was it him, or just her? Girls are weird...

"And Inuzuka Kaori." Iruka announced.

 _"Hm? That's the girl that kind of stood up for me just a minute ago. She always seemed so intimidating, so I can't say I know her that well..."_ Naruto didn't know what to make of her at the moment. She didn't seem like much of a hostile person, although the intimidating look on her face would say otherwise. Considering how she openly stated she'd prefer him over Sasuke, Naruto felt confident that he'd be able to make some new friends for a change.

For that reason, he smiled. He was hoping that he'd at least be paired up with his other somewhat friendly associate, Shikamaru, but was satisfied with the outcome.

"And Team leader will be... Yuuhi Kurenai." Iruka finished. "Now, Team 10 will consist of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji, and Aburame Shino. Team Leader will be Sorutobi Asuma." Iruka finished. "Now, is there any questions? Feel free to ask." he said after slipping the note into his pocket. Sakura and Ino both stood up from their seats, raising their hands up as high as they could. Iruka sighed and shook his head.

"Sakura, Ino, I told you two to wait until after I dismiss everyone." The two rivals reluctantly sat back down and put their hands at their sides. "Alright, now you guys can have an hour-long lunch break and are to report back here for your sensei's to pick you up... Class dismissed." As soon as Iruka said those words, two blurs of blonde and purple, and red and pink rushed across the classroom to Iruka.

Naruto stood up from his seat and walked over to where Kaori was gathering her things.

"Naruto, huh? Looks like we're going to be teammates from now on." she said without even looking in his direction. Naruto was a bit taken back at how she knew he was right there. He didn't think he made much noise when he approached her, and she was even looking in the opposite direction from him.

"Y-Yeah. Hey, how'd you know I was here?" Naruto questioned. Kaori grinned and turned around to look at him. She then pointed to her small nose.

"My clan is notorious for their keen sense of smell. I can make my sense of smell a hundred times better than any humans, so I can track you by your scent." she boasted. Kaori then crinkled her nose. "You sure could use a bath, though."

Naruto looked at her for a second before lifting his arm to smell his armpit. Naruto flinched at the smell then smiled sheepishly at his new teammate, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hehehe, yeah... sorry about that." Naruto apologized, "Um... anyway, I was kinda hoping that we could all get lunch together as a team and get to know each other better. How does that sound?"

Kaori thought for a minute, "... Are you treating?"

"Um, yeah. I guess so."

"Then alright, let's go!"

* * *

 _"I get to go on a team with Naruto-kun?"_ the violet-haired princess thought, _"And for some strange reason, I was half-expecting him to be paired up with Sakura-san_... _"_ she then looked over to where Naruto was sitting, only to find him and her other new teammate walking over to her.

"Hey, Hinata. Since we're going to be a team, I figured it'd be nice to get lunch and get to know each other. It's my treat." Naruto offered, "Wanna join us?"

"Um... Sure. I'd love to, Naruto-san."

* * *

"IRUKA-SENSEI!"

Iruka had the incredible urge to hide from the two children running toward him. But how would it look if he hid from a couple of twelve year-olds? Making his decision, he simply stood there and sighed, ready to face his tribulation.

"Girls, first off, let me say that I'm not the one that chooses the individuals to be on each team. That's the Hokage's job. I just send him reports of your progress in class; you're strengths and weaknesses, and he pairs you up with other shinobi that can help you improve upon your weaknesses." Iruka explained before they got a chance to scream at him. They then give him a puzzled look, which flashed back to their previous enraged ones.

"What weakness can I possibly improve on through working with _her_? I don't like her!" Ino exclaimed to Iruka while pointing a finger at Sakura, which in response caused Sakura to glare at her. Iruka sighed.

"That's the precise reason _why_ you two were paired up. In my reports, I informed the Hokage of both of your rivalries with each other. Whether he wants you both to work together to end your rivalries, or to use your rivalries to motivate you to do better, I don't know. But its for those two reasons you both were paired up together. And the reasons why you're paired up with Sasuke, is because the Hokage feels that your infatuation with him is greatly hindering you both from reaching your maximum potential, and through guidance of your new sensei, Hatake Kakashi, he'll help you both get over it and start taking your lives as kunoichi more seriously." Iruka took a deep breath. "Does that answer your questions, girls?"

Sakura and Ino were still pouting, but nodded.

* * *

Over across the other side of the classroom, Chouji met up with his best friend, Nara Shikamaru and was attempting to wake him up from his slumber.

"Hey, Shika. Wake up, class is dismissed." he said lightly, shaking his arm. Shikamaru rose out of his sleep, lifted his head up, and looked at Chouji tiredly, rubbing the crust out of his eyes.

"Mgh... Really...? So who's on my team? Please tell me our fathers' 'Ino-Shika-Cho' squad will be passed down to this generation..." Shika groaned. Chouji sent him a small smile.

"Well... not really. Its more like we're gonna be a ' _Shino_ -Shika-Cho' team." The large child replied. Shikamaru let out a breath of relief. He knew Ino would _definitely_ be a nuisance, he's seen it for himself more than a couple of times, if she was to be on his team. His father, Shikaku, had mercilessly nagged him to death about the new generation and formation of the 'Ino-Shika-Cho Trio', and sure this might disappoint him, but Shikamaru felt he'll live. Chouji was Shikamaru's best friend, so that in no way bothered him. And Shino was okay, if not a little mysterious, but Shika was sure they would get along fine.

Besides, women are troublesome, anyway.

"Wait, who's our sensei?" The Shadow Manipulator asked. Chouji shrugged.

"I dunno, some guy named Sorutobi Asuma." Chouji stated before resuming to his bag of chips. It was then that they both noticed a figure in a white coat approach them.

"Hello. Since we're going to paired in a team together, I figured it would be wise to have lunch to familiarize ourselves with each other. Cooperation and friendship is essential to form a successful team." Shino stated with one hand in his pocket, the other adjusting his glasses, then returning to his other pocket. There was a pregnant pause between the three genin, before Shikamaru spoke up.

"Sounds good. So who's treating?"

"..."

"..."

"... So I guess I am, huh...? Troublesome..."

* * *

"WHAT?! What do you mean you never ate ramen?!" Naruto asked incredulously. Kaori just shrugged.

"What I mean is that I never had ramen before. What's so great about it, anyway?" Naruto just sat there bug eyed. He then turned to Hinata.

"Hinata, _please_ tell me you've had ramen at least once!" Naruto asked her with a hopeful look. Hinata looked at him with a slight blush and lightly shook her head.

"Sorry, Naruto-san, but I, um, don't believe I've had ramen before. We don't really eat things like that at the Hyuuga compound..."

Naruto wanted to drop dead. But he knew the exact place where to have lunch now.

"Ah, you guys don't know what you're missing out on! Come on!" Naruto said excitedly, gently grabbing both girls' wrists and began running, forcing them to run in step with him.

"Eep! N-Naruto-san...!"

"H-Hey! Slow down, baka!"

* * *

An hour later, each team had lunch together and gotten to know each other well... save for Team Seven, since Sakura and Ino knew each other plenty, and Sasuke didn't want to bother getting to know his two irritating teammates.

Team Eight was the first to arrive back to the classroom to meet their sensei's, followed by Team Ten. All of the other teams had arrived after them, then last, but certainly not least, Team Seven entered. Naruto had to hold back the urge to tell the two female rivals to shut up over a guy that wasn't even worth their time, and succeeded. Barely.

But now, he was just chatting with Hinata and Kaori, mainly bragging about their reactions towards having their first bowl of Ichiraku ramen. Kaori tried to hide it, but her reaction made it clear that ramen was one of the best things she's ever eaten before. She almost had the same amount of bowls that Naruto had, and considering Naruto's huge appetite, that says a lot.

As for Hinata, she sighed happily as her taste buds were appreciating the mix of flavors that were enveloping around them. Naruto made sure to see her reaction, and laughed heartily when he did. Hinata had one bowl, which was practically nothing compared to the amount Naruto and Kaori had, but considering her appetite and the size of the bowl, she wasn't sure if she would finish it all at first. It was for that reason she felt a bit embarrassed, considering how she felt she pigged out a bit.

As they continued to chat amongst themselves, the door to the classroom opened, and to the slight disappointment of Naruto, Teams Four and Two met with their sensei's and left the classroom.

A few minutes later, a man with short but spiky ebony hair and chinstrap beard, and a woman with mid-length wavy black hair and red eyes entered the classroom. The man was wearing a standard Konoha shinobi outfit, along with a white sash around his waist with a red and black symbol on it that said 'fire' on it in kanji. He was also smoking a cigarette, which Naruto questioned in his head about his logic in doing that in front a bunch of kids.

As for the woman, her eyes are what attracted Naruto's, if not everyone in the classroom's, attention first. They were a deep blood red color with a kind of ring shape in them outside of the pupil. She had on red lipstick and a light shade of purple eyeshadow on her eyelids. Her outfit was something someone would assume consisted of bandages, which were wrapped around her in a sleeveless dress-like fashion which ended mid-thigh, exposing a fair amount of leg, with a long red sleeve attached to her right side. The 'dress' also had a little bit of a low collar, exposing a dark mesh shirt underneath along with a modest amount of cleavage. She also wore bandages around her hands, all the way up to her elbows, and had her Konoha Hitai-ate around her forehead.

In Naruto's opinion, she was pretty damn hot.

"Alright guys, where's Squad Ten?" The man with the beard asked, looking around the classroom. Shikamaru, Chouji, and Shino all raised their hands. The Jounin smiled slightly and walked over to them. The minute he does so, the red-eyed beauty cleared her throat.

"And where's my team; Squad Eight?" she asked.

 _"_ That's _supposed to be my sensei? Oh man, I'm gonna have a lot of trouble concentrating on myself with her around!"_ Naruto half-groaned in his head, trying his best not to eyeball the hell out of his new sensei. He and his two female teammates raised their hands to show that they were the team she was looking for. The Jounin then saw this and sent them a smile that made Naruto a bit weak in the knees.

"Hey, blondie. You can put your eyeballs back in your head." Kaori whispered quietly, but firmly. Naruto looked over toward her, with a guilty/innocent face.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Kaori-chan?" he asked. Kaori snarled at Naruto for the adding the '-chan' suffix to her name. While getting more familiar with each other at the ramen bar, Naruto used the '-chan' suffix unconsciously while stating her name. Kaori wasn't angry with him for it, but she stated that she'd prefer him to drop that suffix, due to the fact that it made her name sound _cute_ and Kaori didn't think of herself as such. Hot, sexy, attractive, appealing, etc were all things she would describe herself as, but _cute_ was not on that list. She'd let Hinata have that adjective, and wasn't surprised when Hinata said she didn't mind being called 'Hinata-chan'.

But Kaori just ignored it and returned back to the situation at hand.

"I mean, that I'm sure that she has no problems with undressing herself, so you don't have to do it with your eyes."

"E-Eh?! I-I'm not-!"

"Hello, guys." The three Genin didn't even realize that the older woman walked up to them while Kaori and Naruto were bickering. Their attention then got transferred back to her, especially Naruto's. "My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. I'm sure it'll be nice working with you all."


	2. Chapter Two: Introductions

_"Ah, man! She even has a beautiful name...!"_ Naruto said in his subconscious, trying to keep cool in front of his new teacher. Kaori could see the struggle on his face, and simply rolled her eyes. She then turned toward Kurenai and gave her an exaggerated smile.

"Why hello, Kurenai-san! It's very pleasing to meet you. My name is Inuzuka Kaori." she greeted, hiding her disgust in greeting her so sweetly. She then motioned toward Hinata, who hesitantly complies.

"Um... Hello, my name is Hyuuga Hinata. I hope we can all get along..." she said with what _seems_ like a sincere smile. _"Though I highly doubt it..."_ a hidden dark part inside her grumbled. She didn't really appreciate how easy it was for her to steal Naruto's attention. The last thing Hinata wanted was more competition, especially how she was already worried about Kaori coming into the picture as well.

Kaori, who was satisfied with Hinata's greeting, waited for Naruto to introduce himself. A few seconds of awkward silence passed by and Kaori began to grow a bit agitated, seeing as he was just sitting there staring at his teacher. She elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ow...! Oh, and er... My name is Uzumaki Kurenai... I-I mean, my name is U-Uzumaki Naruto... Hehehe..." Naruto laughed sheepishly, growing a blush similar to Hinata's whenever she gets into her shy persona. Kaori successfully fights back the urge to face-palm herself. Hinata simply sighed.

Kurenai laughed a bit and smiled at her three new students. "Well, so far I have a good impression of all three of you. But for my first assignment, I first request that you all meet me at The Seventh Training Ground. I trust that you all know where it is?" Kurenai asked. Kaori and Hinata both nodded their heads, though Naruto hesitantly did it for the single reason that he didn't want to look stupid in front of Kurenai.

The ebony-haired Jounin smiled, "Good. I expect to see you all there in less than fifteen minutes; I wont accept tardiness." Kurenai finished before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Now seeing that Kurenai is no longer around, Kaori dropped her fake smile.

"Meh, 'I wont accept tardiness...' Who does she think she is...?" Kaori mocked Kurenai's last words with a distaste in her mouth. Naruto gave Kaori a look.

"Hey, what's your beef with Kurenai-sensei?" he asked.

"There's something I don't like about her, that's all." Kaori said unequivocally. Naruto stared at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"What don't you like about her?"

"It's a girl thing." Kaori waved him off just as Akamaru woke up from his slumber, who was sleeping peacefully in Kaori's hood the whole time, "I'm pretty sure you feel the same way, right Hinata?" she asked the Juuken user, catching her off guard.

"Wh-Wha? N-No, I don't dislike Kurenai-sensei... She seems fine to me..." Hinata replied modestly, if not, a bit defensively. Though one side of her wanted to openly agree with Kaori, she really didn't want her or Naruto to catch any hint that she was jealous of Kurenai.

"Eh. Maybe its just me then." Kaori shrugged it off. "But be that as it may, we still have to go to The Seventh Training Ground in a couple of minutes, so we should be on our way." She then smirked at Naruto, "And don't worry, Naruto. Just follow Hinata and I, because we actually _know_ where it is."

"Hey!"

* * *

"Alright, we're here... so where's our sensei?" asked a baffled female Inuzuka once Team Eight arrives in the middle of the designated training ground. All three members looked around the grassy plains, only to find that they were all by their lonesome.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I'm sure this is the right place, Naruto." Kaori says with a bit of annoyance in her tone of voice.

"Um, I have my Byakugan, so I can probably see if she's nearby with it." Hinata offered.

"Not a bad idea, Hinata." Kaori complimented, "Please do the honors."

"Okay..." Hinata then formed a one-handed tiger seal, "Byakugan!" she exclaimed. Then, at that moment, the veins around her temples begin to bulge and her seemingly invisible pupils become a little more distinct. Naruto has seen Hinata like this at the academy during sparring sessions and to this moment, her small, but obvious change in appearance still frightens him slightly.

"So do you see her, Hin- WATCH OUT!" Kaori exclaimed right before hastily tackling Naruto and Hinata out of the way from the incoming barrage of kunai and shuriken thrown in their direction. Rolling across the ground, back onto their feet, Naruto and Hinata begin to question why Kaori did such a thing before another shower of kunai rained down upon them. This time all three were aware of the sharp projectiles being thrown in their direction, and all jumped in opposite directions to avoid them, splitting them up. As if it were her reflex, Kaori pulled a kunai from her hip pouch, shifting into her defensive, almost beast-like fighting stance. Similarly, Hinata, now alarmed, goes straight into her Juuken stance, looking around for any detectable enemies. Naruto, not having a special clan stance or fighting style simply changed into a basic, mildly sloppy, shinobi stance, kunai gripped in his right hand.

"What in the world...?! Akamaru-kun, are you okay?" Kaori asked over her shoulder to her dear furry acquaintance. Akamaru, though slightly shaken up from the sudden change in events, barked hesitantly, but clear enough to show that he's okay.

"What the hell is this all about?!" Naruto exclaimed, still very much on his toes. Kaori clenched her teeth.

"Tch! I wish I knew... Hinata, do you see anyone?" Kaori shouted in her direction.

"Uh...! Y-Yes, I see three chakra signatures; 76 meters, southeastward!" Hinata hollered, turning in said direction, as do her teammates. They, for the exception of Hinata, could only just vaguely see the figures standing on a tree branch.

"Can you see who it is?" Kaori asked, looking at Hinata through the corners of her eyes. Hinata's frightened and disbelieving facial expression was a big tip off to both Naruto and Kaori that whoever they were, they weren't here to just say hello.

"I-I-I... I don't b-believe this...!" Hinata uttered out with fear and confusion evident in her voice.

"Who are they, Hinata?!" Naruto called out. Hinata took one big gulp.

"You guys aren't going to believe this, but... t-they're-" Suddenly, in a big explosion, a cloud of smoke enveloped around the three pre-teens, throwing off Naruto's and Kaori's sense of sight. Hinata still had her Byakugan active, therefor she was able to see through the smoke. But due to being caught up in the surprise of the moment, Hinata didn't have much time to prepare herself from the incoming strike to the face, sending her flying out of the cloud of smoke, along with Naruto and Kaori, who shared the same experience. Naruto, being the first to recover off the ground, got up on one knee, struggling to get to his feet. The drop to the ground was pretty hard.

But as he raised his head perpendicular to the ground so that he can see what's up ahead, his vision met the mid-section of a certain familiar orange jumpsuit. Baffled, he looks up even farther, only to see...

 _"Is that supposed to be... me?"_ Of course, Naruto would recognize who the individual wearing that outfit; he looks at him everyday when he looks at his own reflection.

"Wh... What's... Oof!" The sudden kick to the gut immediately knocked all the wind out of the real Naruto's lungs. He hunched over in pain, his face now pressing against the soft grass. Before he got time to recover, the impostor picked Naruto up by his collar, now meeting him eye to eye. Naruto's vision was blurry, especially since his eyes were half open, but he could make out the image of the look-alike giving him a smug grin. It didn't take Naruto long to figure out that his two teammates were probably sharing the same fate.

However, the enemy's face then morphed slowly into Kurenai's smiling face, making Naruto's eyes widen due to many conflicting emotions; Relief? Fear? The only thing he knew was that he was definitely confused...

"Not bad for a couple of Genin fresh out of the academy." (Kurenai?) said with a sweet smile. Then, just as Naruto blinked...

He ended up back in the position he was in before Kaori tackled him and Hinata. Only this time, Kurenai Yuuhi was standing directly in front of him, with Kaori and Hinata standing right beside him. He noticed that he felt no more pain, and had a feeling that the events that just took place were all a big dream. But... it felt so real. He could feel, hear, see, and even smell everything that was happening when he and his team were attacked.

"K-Kurenai-sensei...?" Naruto asked, still unsure whether reality was taking place at the moment or not. Kurenai simply laughed. Beside him, Kaori and Hinata were just as baffled as him, to his slight relief.

"Whoa. Exactly what the hell happened just now?!" Kaori vocalized what her two friends were thinking. Kurenai chuckled.

"Hehe, just consider that a little technique of mine to find out more about you three without actually asking." Kurenai stated with a grin. Her grin then fell a bit when she saw that all three of her students still looked very confused and lost, "Alright, show of hands; who actually knows what happened?"

No one raised their hand.

Kurenai raised an eyebrow, "Well, can you at least guess?" she asked.

"We're all dead and this is what heaven looks like?" Naruto stated the first thought came to mind. Kurenai closed her eyes, hung her head a bit and simply laughed to herself quietly, "What? I was just guessing..." he mumbled upon seeing Kurenai's response.

"Um... was that a Genjutsu that you used on us?" Hinata guessed. Kurenai smiled at her.

"Very good, Hinata. You're correct." Kurenai praised. All three Genin's eyes widened.

" _That_ was a Genjutsu...?" Kaori asked in shock. Kurenai looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah? Didn't they show you what being caught in a Genjutsu was like at the academy?"

"Yeah, but they only showed us how to do something small, like change and fix hidden arrangements of letters in a letter, or something." Kaori answered.

Kurenai pinched the bridge between her nose in mild irritation, "Ugh. Why does everyone take Genjutsu so much more lightly than Ninjutsu and Taijutsu? I'm going to have to speak to the Hokage about this..." Kurenai mumbled to herself. She then looked at her three new students, "Well, by doing that to you three, I can now see that none of you aren't naturally excelled in the art of Genjutsu. Because, you see, that was a low ranked Genjutsu technique, nothing higher than a low C-rank. And if you had a knack for Genjutsu, it would have been fairly obvious that you were caught in it."

Hinata, Naruto, and Kaori all sweatdropped simultaneously.

"But don't fret about it. I assure you that by the time you all become Chuunin, that you'll all be able to cast and break out of C-ranked and lower Genjutsu techniques, maybe even some B-ranks." Kurenai said with a smile. This seemed to cheer them up.

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei! What was that technique called anyway?" Naruto called out. Kurenai smiled at the boy.

"I'm glad you asked, Naruto. That technique was called Demonic Illusion: Vision of the Cursed Mind _._ It takes what negative energy you have inside you _,_ turns it into an evil counterpart of yourself and turns it against you _._ However, even though it sounds like a fairly effective jutsu, it's easy to break out of if you've had the proper training or if you had a natural affinity for Genjutsu." Kurenai stated. Naruto nods his head and sits down on the ground, his knees bent.

"So, if you're a Genjutsu specialist, does that mean that's all we're going to learn?" Naruto asked. Kurenai shook her head.

"No, not at all. Just because I'm a Genjutsu specialist doesn't mean that I'm not pretty fluent in Taijutsu or Ninjutsu. I am a Jounin, after all. And since none of you are Genjutsu specialists anyway, we may not even get into that topic as much as the other two forms of jutsu." Kurenai smiled at the beaming expression on Naruto's face. "Hehe, so I'm guessing that you really want to learn some Ninjutsu and Taijutsu moves as soon as possible, eh Naruto-kun?" Naruto's grin doubled.

"Hehehe yeah! I mainly want to learn Ninjutsu though, because those are the coolest!" Naruto exclaimed.

 _"Okay, so with that attitude, I can tell he's definitely going to be a Ninjutsu specialist. Now what about the other two?"_ Kurenai thinks to herself. She then came up with an idea. "Now that I think about it, I don't think we've properly gotten to know ourselves," Kurenai then sat down on the grass along with Naruto, with the Inuzuka and Hyuuga following right after, "So we'll properly get to know each other by stating our passions, dislikes, goals, and things of that nature. Who wants to go first?" The Jounin asked. A pregnant pause entered between the four before Kaori spoke up.

"Hey Sensei, why don't you go first?" she asked. Kaori still was not too sure whether she'd be fond Kurenai or not, but this doesn't mean that she would be going to hold an attitude towards her. If they were going to be a team, she'll have to get used to being around her, anyway.

Kurenai smiled at Kaori's suggestion and nodded, "Okay then. My name is Kurenai Yuuhi. My birthday is June eleventh, and I'm currently twenty-seven years old." Kurenai started.

 _"Wow, she doesn't look to be that old. She looks as if she's only a few years older than Ayame-chan..."_ Naruto shared a thought with himself.

"My passions include growing and caring for my garden of flowers, eating Dango and Takowasa, and training. I graduated from the academy at age nine, became a Chuunin at age thirteen, and then got promoted to Jounin around a year ago, so I guess I'm kind of adapting the this Jounin business. I know over 50 Ninjutsu, over 100 Genjutsu techniques, and my Taijutsu is moderately average for a Jounin." Naruto mentally whistled to himself in fascination, "Oh, and even though you'll hardly meet people that share the same red eyes that I have, they're not a Dojutsu like Hinata's Byakugan or the Sharingan."

"That explains alot, because at first I thought you were an Uchiha, but then you told us that your last name was Yuuhi, so I wondered if you got married outside of the Uchiha clan." Kaori stated. Kurena shook her head.

"No, I'm not an Uchiha, and never was. My eyes are like this due to a rare gene in my family. Besides, those who have the Sharingan have one to three tomoe outside of their pupil, while mine doesn't have any. Sasuke Uchiha-"

 _"Bastard."_ Naruto and Kaori simultaneously grumbled in their head.

"-is said to be the last living Uchiha in Konoha, anyway. Boy, it scares me how many people have thought that I was from the Uchiha clan at first glimpse..." Kurenai chuckled. "And I'm not married, by the way."

 _"YES!"_ A certain someone amongst the three Genin mentally shouted.

Kurenai then looks at her three students, "Is their anything else you guys would like to know about me?"

"What are your dislikes?" Kaori asked. Kurenai thought for a moment.

"Hm... There aren't too many things that I dislike, other than common things, such as selfish and uncaring people, and things of the sort. Oh, I dislike cake, if that counts for anything..." Kurenai says sheepishly. She then took a glimpse and Hinata and noted that she's been staring at Naruto half of the time while everyone was talking.

 _"I hope there wont be some kind of love triangle forming between this team already..."_ She silently sighed to herself in her head. Kurenai also didn't fail to notice the occasional glimpse at her chest she received from Naruto, but decided not to reprimand him for it... at least not in front of Hinata and Kaori. Besides, most men even older than him do it on a daily basis anyway, "Is that everything guys?"

Naruto had to hold back the urge to ask if she had a boyfriend at the moment, and barely succeeded. Nonetheless, no one else asked a question. Kurenai took the silence as a sign to move on.

"Alright, so now that you've gotten to know a few things about me, it's my turn to learn more about you guys. Who wants to go first?" There was another long pause before Naruto raised his hand and took the initiative.

"I'll go... Um, my name is Naruto Uzumaki and I absolutely love eating ramen! I can't bare a day without having one of Ichiraku's!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. Kaori and Hinata both smiled at this, but Kaori was the one that shook her head in amusement, "I'm twelve years old, and my birthday is October tenth-" At this, Kurenai paused to think to herself.

 _"So he definitely is the boy that has Kyuubi sealed into him, just like the Hokage said."_ She then smiles as she looks him over. _"Can't tell that by just looking at him. He's as happy and good-willed as anybody can be, but yet he has something so dark and evil lurking around inside him. The Fourth Hokage must've done really well with that seal of his."_ It took Kurenai a moment to realize that she drifted out of what he was saying up until now.

"-Oiroke no Jutsu and the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Kurenai blinked, having returned her attention to his words at the wrong moment, "Ah... I don't know any Genjutsu, and I'm sure my Taijutsu isn't the best out there, either... Oh, and I don't know why, but most of the teachers at the academy kept mumbling something about me having incredible stamina and chakra." Naruto shrugged. Kurenai nodded with interest.

"My goal... My goal is to make everybody recognize who I am by becoming Hokage! It doesn't matter how hard I have to train, how long it takes me, or what kind of suffering I have to go through until I reach that goal, I _will_ become Hokage, so I can protect everyone in this village and show everyone that I'm not just some troublemaker that everyone makes me out to be. This is my home, and i vow to do anything to protect it." Naruto stated The look on his face displayed to the others that each of his words were very genuine to what he was saying. Kurenai admitted to herself that she was impressed. She could clearly see that this boy sitting before her has a drive and determination unlike most other shinobi just by this small speech she just heard. She was sure that he would be quite the interesting person to train and work with in the near future.

Kaori was not the only person looking at Naruto with a facial expression that showed the she was evidently impressed. She liked people with a high determination and drive like his, and his fun, albeit childish personality was bonus points.

Despite this, she highly doubted that he'd actually become Hokage one day, since she wasn't exactly impressed with what she has seen him do as far as fighting on the battlefield, especially if that Genjutsu they were caught in was an example of what he'd do in reality. He 'proclaimed' that he beat a Chuunin all by himself and even learned an A-rank Ninjutsu on his own when they were at the ramen bar, but she was sure that he might have been stretching the truth a bit. Kaori was the type of person that has to see it to believe it, and since she hasn't _seen_ anything, it's gonna take a little more than what she'd seen recenty to convince her.

But even she had to admit that she liked his spunk.

Hinata, on the other hand, just smiled proudly, having heard a similar speech like this back in the academy. She didn't love him just because of her weakness for blonde-haired boys with a fun and loud persona, but also because, like Kaori, she liked Naruto for his strong and fiery drive and determination for what he believes in. Also considering how Naruto had stood up for Hinata a while back when she was getting bullied by a few boys, and took a beating for her in her defense, she knew that there was something special about him.

 _"And I will be there to help you achieve that goal, Naruto-kun."_ she added subconsciously.

Naruto then grinned goofily, "I also love to pull pranks on people and leave adults flying with a major nosebleed with my Oiroke no Jutsu! Hehehe!"

All the females around him sweatdropped.

"Uh... I can honestly say that you sure are an interesting character, Naruto-kun." Kurenai commented with a slight grin, despite the small but lingering sweatdrop on the back of her head due to his last statement. "Not many shinobi, especially a fresh-out-of-the-academy genin such as yourself, have such an impressive goal and strong determination like yours. The Will Of Fire surely burns deeply within your heart, Naruto-kun." Kurenai said proudly. Naruto chuckled sheepishly and rubs the back of his head modestly.

The Genjutsu master then turned toward her two other students. "So who wants to go next?"

"I'll go next." Kaori says before clearing her throat. All the others' attention shifts toward her, "My name is Inuzuka Kaori. And this," Kaori then reaches back into her hood and pulled out her favorite brown and white Great Pyrenees, "is my friend and fighting partner, Akamaru." she introduced with a smile. Akamaru, just being roused from another nap, barked enthusiastically, but drowsily. He then returned back to his slumber in Kaori's lap. "We both share the same birthday; July 7th, but he's only three years old and I'm twelve." she said while petting him.

"Can I hold him, Kaori?" Kurenai asked sweetly. Despite the glare she _almost_ sent at her, she nodded and handed Akamaru over to her, who yawned and snuggled adoringly into Kurenai's lap.

"I love to eat, particularly meat, and I love to fight strong opponents. I know many of my clan's basic Ninjutsu and Taijutsu techniques, but I think I like Taijutsu more. My favorite technique is my clan's famous Fang Over Fang Technique, although I didn't fully master it to it's maximum potential yet..." she crosses her arms and huffed in a pout, "My mom also said that I'd be a tracking type of kunoichi, since I can make my sense of smell a hundred times better than any humans, and I can track down anyone within a 500 yard radius." Kurenai and Naruto gave an impressed nod. "I dislike anything not chewy, such as vegetables, fruit, and things of that nature. I also dislike Sasuke Uchiha and any eye-humping she-harpy that swoons over him." she said flatly. Naruto beamed with a bright smile and raised his arm in a gesture for her to give him a high-five in agreement. Kaori chuckled and rolled her eyes, but complied with his gesture.

"Why do you dislike Sasuke, Kaori-chan?" Kurenai asked. Kaori growled to herself lowly.

"That's another thing I hate. If were going to get along, you simply _can not_ call me 'Kaori-chan'." she pointed out. "And I don't like Sasuke because he's an arrogant, cocky, spoiled, ungrateful asshole. And his dumb 'Bird-ass' hairstyle, makes him look stupid." She says simply.

"Ah... Okay, I guess..." Kurenai mumbled with a raised eyebrow. Kaori just shrugged.

"I have an older sister, Inuzuka Hana, who's a pain in the ass sometimes, but I guess I still love her regardless." she shrugged. "My ambition is to take my mother's place as the head of our clan and become one of the strongest kunoichi in existence, even stronger than Tsunade of the Sannin. I know it's going to be a lot of hard work, but I know that I'll get through it and come out on top above all others. I can feel it." she declared with a smirk. Kurenai gave her an impressed look.

"Well, that certainly is a high goal that you're shooting for, and I have no doubts that you'll reach it." Kurenai said with a warm smile, "But... in order to be top kunoichi, you'll have to surpass a lot of other kunochi sharing that goal... including me." Kurenai gives Kaori a semi-challenging stare. Kaori sent back an intrigued look and nodded her head in agreement, "Now, is that all you have to tell us about yourself?"

Kaori nodded, "Yep. You'll find more about me once we get more used to each other." She finished. Kurenai nodded and turned to Hinata.

"Well, I guess that just leaves you, Hinata." Kurenai said with a warm smile. Hinata hesitantly nodded and cleared her throat.

"Um... Hello, My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I'm twelve years old, and my birthday is December twenty-seventh. I'm um... the oldest child of my clan's head leader, Hyuuga Hiashi, and I'm the heir to my clan's main branch. Erhm... I mean, I w-was... the heiress, until my father decided to make my little sister the heiress instead..." Hinata says with a frown. Everyone's smiles dropped. Seeing that she was starting to push the atmosphere into a more depressive mood, Hinata tried to smile and changed the subject.

"Um... my favorite-"

"Hey, wait a minute. Why did your father change his mind about making you heiress to the throne, Hinata-chan?" Naruto interjected. Hinata stared at him for a moment before lowering her face into her knees.

"Because... he felt that I wasn't progressing enough as a kunoichi to take the throne as clan head, so he passed that privilege to my younger sister, Hanabi, since she's progressing better than I am... B-But it's okay though, beca-"

"No, it's not okay!" Kaori suddenly bursted. "You can't just suddenly change your mind about someone, especially your own daughter, being next in line as heiress of the throne! Just because she was slowly developing her skills? So what?! That just means you have to have patience with her! Not just toss her aside and be done with her, especially at such an early period in her life!"

Everyone looked at Kaori, shocked. She saw this and huffed.

"Sorry, I just get a little emotional when I hear things like that." she grumbled as she crosses her arms.

"Well, I agree with you, Kaori-chan!" The Inuzuka gave Naruto a deathly stare, "I-I mean, Kaori... You shouldn't have to take this, Hinata-chan! Remember that day when I stood up to those bullies that were bullying you back at the academy around a few years ago?" Naruto asked. Hinata nodded her head; how would she ever forget? "And what did I say to you after I got beat up for you?"

Hinata looked down, "You told me to contact you the next time someone tried to disrespect me... s-so that you could deal with them yourself." Hinata said. Naruto nodded.

"That's right. I have half a mind to storm into his office and demand that Hinata be put back in line to take over as clan head..." Naruto grumbled as he started to get up, but Kurenai put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Easy, Naruto-kun. Going into the Hyuuga compound uninvited isn't something you'd want to do if you care about your well-being. Especially if you're going to go there to 'storm into Hiashi's office'." Kurenai told him. She began to elaborate when she saw Naruto sigh, "I'll try to talk with the Hokage about getting a meeting with Hiashi one day, but now isn't the best time. If that's okay with you, Hinata."

"Um, I don't know..." The Hyuuga mumbled, "I'm not even sure I want to be clan head... I don't think I'd make a good one."

"Don't doubt yourself." Kaori told her, "I'm sure you'd be a great one. You're soft and timid, but you give off a better vibe than those other Hyuuga I've met before. Besides, I'll need a rival when I become the head of my clan." she finished with a small smirk. Hinata blushed from the praise.

"Um... thank you, Koari."

Kurenai smiled, "Now, changing the subject. Please continue where you left off, Hinata-chan." Kurenai said. Hinata nodded.

"Um... My favorite food to eat are cinnamon rolls... And ramen now, I guess..." Naruto grinned cheekily at Hinata, who smiled in return, "Ah, my taijutsu skills rely on my clan's Juuken techniques. Due to my Byakugan, I can be classified as a tracking kunoichi as well. Thanks to Naruto-kun, I enjoy training a little more and striving to meet my goals." Hinata said, her slight confidence boost evident. Everyone smiled at the Hyuuga, causing her to blush, "And I don't hate anything, really..."

Hinata finished with a slight sigh, and Kurenai nodded, "Well... I am very impressed with the members on my team, and I'm certain that with time, Squad Eight will be the best team out there." Kurenai said.

"Damn right, we will." Kaori exclaimed, grinning.

"That's right. But that doesn't mean that everything will be a breeze for us. There are some strong people out there, too, and we'll need to train very hard in order to pass our obstacles." Kurenai advised.

"I don't think that matters, Kurenai sensei! Kaori, Hinata-chan, and I are willing to tackle anything you or anyone else throws at us!" Kurenai sent Naruto a sweet smile.

"I'm very pleased to hear that, Naruto-kun. That brings me to your first exercise as a group." The Red-Eyed Jounin then stands up and hands over Akamaru back to Kaori. "Since you guys are so confident, how about we meet back here tomorrow at the crack of dawn? I have a training assignment for all three of you. and whatever you do, don't take it lightly." Their sensei said with a smirk. Kaori's and Naruto's eyebrows raised.

"Can you give us a hint to what it's going to be about?" Naruto asked.

"Okay. It doesn't involve too much Genjutsu." Kurenai smirked and forms a tiger seal with her right hand. "Now remember; at the crack of dawn. Always remember what I say about tardiness." she then disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving three baffled Genin sitting in the middle of The Seventh Training Ground.

"Er... Do you guys know what she has in mind regarding our training assignment...?" Naruto asked the two girls hopefully. Kaori and Hinata shook their heads.

"Not at all." Kaori stood up and placed Akamaru inside of her coat, his head peering out above the top of the zipper. She then helped Hinata and Naruto get back onto their feet, "But all I know is that it can't be too hard, especially if it doesn't involve too much Genjutsu." Hinata and Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he said while stretching his limbs. He then grinned goofily, "Hey, you know what we should do together?"

Kaori sends him a knowing smirk, "More bowls over at Ichiraku?" Naruto chuckled bizarrely.

"You know it!" he exclaimed. "Last one there pays the bill!"

And with that, Naruto and Kaori were off.

"H-Hey! Wait for me!" Exclaimed Hinata.


	3. Chapter Three: Kurenai's Test

Hinata squeaked then sweatdropped, _"*sigh* Naruto-kun..."_

Akamaru whimpered and Kaori's eye twitched, _"...You've got to be kidding me..."_

"Mmm... See _,_ guys? I told you that I made my own technique..."

"But it's so stupid!" Kaori burst, "Who the hell would fall for a trick like this?!"

"I've tricked and deceived a lot of guys with technique already, one of them being Iruka-sensei."

"Um... Naruto-kun, I agree with Kaori-chan-" Kaori sent Hinata a look, "A-Ah, I mean, Kaori. This technique seems a little um...bizarre..."

"Oh, come on guys! What person with a fully working brain would turn this-" Naruto turned his body in a complete three-sixty degree turn seductively, "-down?"

"A perverted asshole, that's who." Kaori said flatly. Naruto, henged with his oh-so famous Oiroke no Jutsu, pouted cutely.

"Oh, don't be that way, Kaori..." Naruto then smiled and ground his (her) bare body against Kaori's side, "You know you want me..."

Naruto then found himself in a deadly choke hold.

"I'M NOT GAY, YOU DUMBASS!" Kaori roared. Naruto, due to Kaori's assault, dropped his henge and found himself desperately clutching at Kaori's arm, which was tightly wrapped around his windpipe.

"Okay okay okay! Sorry! Come on Kaori, I can't breathe!" Naruto exclaimed. Kaori, being taller than Naruto, lifted him off the ground by reclining her back, his now kicking feet attacking nothing but the air in front of him. Hinata simply sighed. She loved him dearly, but in her opinion, he kind of deserved this...

"Um... Is this supposed to be some kind of warm up sparring session, or something...?"

The three preteens snapped their heads in the direction that they heard the voice, and spot Kurenai walking into the training grounds toward them, along with someone else whom they were not familiar with.

"K-Kurenai-sensei, help me! Kaori is trying to kill me!" Naruto called to the Genjutsu master. Hinata shared a look with Kurenai, both sighing and shaking their heads at the two hyperactive pre-teens. Kaori grinned evilly.

"If you want me to let you go, man up and make me!" she growled.

"Um, you guys might want to save your energy for the training assignment I have in store for you today..." Kurenai mumbled. Kaori gave her new sensei an over-exaggerated smile and dropped Naruto on the ground. She then knelt down and patted Naruto on the head.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, sensei. I wouldn't want poor Naruto-kun here to become crippled before you even give us our assignment! After all, you are my teammate, right Naruto-kun?" Kaori asked with what seems like a sarcastically sweet attitude. Naruto scowled up at her.

"Grr... You wouldn't have crippled me. I swear if you were a guy, I'd-"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, BAKA?!"

"Gah! I said I wish I knew how to fly!"

Kaori gave the boy a creepy, but somehow innocent smile, "That's what I thought."

"Heh, I think I'm starting to like this girl already, Kurenai."

The three Genin (and Dog-nin) all turned their heads toward the owner of that voice.

Kaori's eyebrow raised.

Hinata gasped.

Akamaru barked.

Naruto's jaw dropped.

 _"Ah, something told me that I'd get those kinds of reactions from these guys."_ Kurenai mentally chuckled to herself with a shake of her head. She then looked over to the woman that her team was openly gawking at. She shook her head at her best friend's choice of wardrobe; A tan overcoat thrown over a mesh body suit, along with a short dark orange skirt.

Seeing that all the attention was on her, the Scary Snake Mistress, Anko Mitarashi, gave Kurenai's squad a wicked smile.

"Why hello, guys! Kurenai-chan told me about her new team and asked me to help out with her training assignment for you three. But before we get to it, why don't we get familiar with ourselves, because I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll be seeing each other." Anko said to the teens, a cheerful expression on her face, "My name is Mitarashi Anko. May I ask what your names are?"

The members from Squad Eight look at each other.

 _"She seems just a bit_ too _friendly..."_

 _"She's weird..."_

 _"Something about her doesn't sit right with me..."_

"Er... My name is Inuzuka Kaori." Kaori takes the initiative yet again.

"Um... Hyuuga Hinata..."

"Uzumaki Naruto..."

Kurenai tried her best not to laugh out loud at her team's facial expressions. Anko simply grinned even wider.

"Nice to meet you three! I can tell already that we're gonna have a lot of fun with this training assignment already!" said an enthusiastic Anko.

"What's the training assignment going to be about, anyway?" Naruto asked. Anko giggle, with the three Genin sensing a small amount of deviousness in her laugh, and looked at her friend Kurenai.

"Do you wanna tell them, or should I?" she asked. Kurenai shrugged.

"Eh, I guess I'll tell them." Kurenai then looked towards her three students, "You see, being a shinobi means that you will be called upon to carry out missions given to you by the Hokage. Many of these missions can and will include the task of finding and guarding information and keeping it safe until you bring it back to the village. That is what this training exercise will demonstrate today." Kurenai then pointed to the forest in the training grounds beside her a few yards away, "This section of the training grounds has a small forest in it. Within this forest are nine scrolls scattered within random sections of the area. The objective is to find and locate as many of these scrolls as you can by sunset."

"Sounds easy enough." Kaori shrugged. Anko grinned.

"Yeah, if it were only that simple. There's a few catches to Kurenai's exercise."

"Which are?" Naruto inquired.

"This is an activity that will pin you three against each other. Whoever finds the most scrolls by sunset will be taught a very impressive genjutsu technique by yours truly. Whoever finds the lesser amount will be taught a more basic genjutsu." Kurenai then spoke seriously, "And whoever finds the least amount will have to turn in their hitai-ate, and will have to re-enroll back into the academy in order to become a shinobi again."

All three genin's eyelids lifted in shock.

"WHAT?!" Naruto screeched, "You can't do that! You can't just rob us of our rights as a shinobi like that!"

"And why can't she?" Anko questioned with a mean smirk.

"Because only the Hokage can do something like that! She doesn't have the right!"

"Sure I do." Kurenai said simply, "I'm your Jounin sensei now. Which means you three are under my authority and discipline. I have the right to command you as I see fit. If I do not believe that any of you are ready to tackle the responsibilities as Genin, by all means, I can rid you of your shinobi rank and have you sent back to the academy."

"That's bogus!" Kaori exclaimed, "Iruka-sensei made us genin for a reason! You can't just send us back after we've already proven ourselves at the academy!"

Kurenai looked somewhat amused, "With all due respect to Iruka, he is a Chuunin. I'm a Jounin. I outrank him, therefore, my word overrules his. If I were to command that he should reteach you, he would have no other choice but to obey."

That immediately put a halt onto whatever arguments Kaori or Naruto had against her.

 _"Kurenai-sensei started out so sweet... when did she decide to be so cold all of a sudden?!"_ Thought Naruto mentally.

"Any more questions?" Asked Anko with a smug smirk. Hinata seemed as though she were thinking about something, and that was something Anko didn't fail to see, "By all means, Hinata-chan, if you have a question then ask away."

Hinata jumped, having been caught off guard due to being so wrapped up in her thoughts," U-Um... I was just wondering... What happens if each of us gets the same amount of scrolls by sunset?"

Kaori raised an eyebrow, "Hey, yeah... there's nine scrolls, so even if we manage to get all of them, there's the potential of us getting three each."

Anko gave them a grin, one that made the Genin of Squad Eight very nervous. She looked at her friend, "Should you tell them, or should I?"

Kurenai crossed her arms, shrugging, "By all means, go ahead."

Anko turned back to them. Her smirk was suddenly gone. Her face was actually serious for the first time since she's met with Kurenai's team.

"If all of you have the same number of scrolls by the time limit, you'll all fail and will all be stripped of your Genin rank." She stated solemnly, "Same thing happens if all nine scrolls are not in each of your possessions by the time limit."

This actually produced three gasps among the group.

"Wait just a damn minute!" Kaori barked, "How are we supposed to know how many scrolls are in each of our possessions and how many are actually remaining in the forest?!"

"That is for you to discuss among your group." Kurenai answered.

"But we're being pinned against each other, right?!"

"Correct." Kurenai nodded.

"So why should we try to cooperate if we're also going against each other?!"

"You just have to see the bigger picture." Anko stated, "You are cooperating with and competing against each other at the same time. You're competing because the loser will have to resign as a Genin. You're cooperating because not doing so can lead to all off you resigning as Genin. Catch my drift?"

Naruto grimaced, "So to put it simply, either one of us fails, or we all do..."

"Exactly." Kurenai said, "I've composed this test to eliminate the weakest link in the group. What you all decide to do once we start is completely up to you, whether it's working together or fighting and opposing each other to obtain the scrolls from one another. Whoever demonstrates the least amount of ability and mindset of a true shinobi will have to start over. It's that simple."

This made Naruto, Hinata, and Kaori gain varying amounts of nervousness as they refused to make eye contact with one another.

"Well... if that's all there is to it, what's the point of her being here?" Kaori asked, pointing at Anko.

Anko smirked at the dog girl, "I'm here to assist Kurenai with this training exercise. You see, Kurenai and I aren't just going to be standing here doing nothing while you look for the scrolls. We'll actually be trying to prevent you from doing so and take the scrolls back, should you find any."

"You're kidding..." Naruto sighed. Mentally, hearing about this test was exhausting him.

"Afraid not, Naruto. Just like in a mission, enemy shinobi will be trying to retrieve the info you obtain from them back if you're caught. But to make it fair for you all, we won't use any ninjutsu or genjutsu, just taijutsu; you all are free to use whatever you wish. We also have light chakra seals placed on us to slow our movements some and close the skill gap between us." Kurenai said. She saw how this seemed to relieve them, if only slightly, "This exercise will also let me see the amount of tracking skills you have. The scrolls are sealed with chakra, so Hinata, you should be able to find them with your Byakugan, and Kaori, you and Akamaru should be able to sniff them out."

"Hey, what about me?!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kurenai turned to him with a grin, "Oh, I've seen your records, Naruto-kun. Apparently, you've learned a high level ninjutsu known as the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Not only that, but you can create many of them due to your high chakra levels. So you'll be able to cover a lot more ground if you have multiple clones out there searching."

"Huh." Kaori mumbled to Naruto, "So I guess you weren't lying."

"Told ya!" He gloated.

"In any case," Kurenai interrupted, "The longer we sit here talking, the less time you guys will have to grab those scrolls. So as soon as you all are ready, you'll each go to your respective starting points at each edge of the forest. Naruto, you stay here and start at the southern point. Hinata, you start east. Kaori and Akamaru, you start west. Anko and I will start north. And when I give the signal, we'll all go into the forest and begin. Understood?"

Kurenai received three hesitant nods from her students.

She nodded and formed the tiger seal to perform a shunshin, "Alright, I wish you all the best of luck."

"You'll need it!" Was Anko's addition to the statement before both Jounin vanished in a whirl of leaves.

For once, Kaori, Naruto, and Hinata had nothing to say to each other. They all simply looked at each other with an awkward air between them. The two girls then began to walk off in different directions to prepare for the exercise ahead of them.

This left Naruto alone with his thoughts, _"This is so not cool... But I plan to win!"_


End file.
